Pop culture 101: a guide for out-of-touch judges – The Guardian

Posted December 10th, 2015 in diversity, judiciary, news by sally

‘After the release of a recent survey by the Sutton Trust showing that nearly 75% of senior judges are privately educated – compared with about 7% of the general population – many assume the judiciary in England and Wales is out-of-touch with popular culture.’

Full story

The Guardian, 10th December 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Judicial system should be “more ready to accommodate academics”, Lord Neuberger says – Litigation Futures

Posted December 9th, 2015 in disabled persons, diversity, equality, gender, judges, judiciary, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘The judicial system should be “more ready to accommodate academics” who were “more notable for their quality than for their quantity”, Lord Neuberger has said.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 9th December 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Top judge leads calls to scrap mandatory daily Christian worship in UK schools – The Guardian

Posted December 7th, 2015 in Christianity, consultations, diversity, education, inquiries, news, school children by sally

‘Schools should no longer face a legal requirement to provide daily acts of worship of a Christian character, under radical reforms being proposed by a top-level inquiry into the place of faith in multicultural Britain.’

Full story

The Guardian, 6th December 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Call for fewer Church of England bishops in House of Lords – BBC News

‘The number of Church of England bishops who sit as peers in the House of Lords should be cut to make way for leaders of other faiths, a new report argues.’

Full story

BBC News, 7th December 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

New figures highlight difficulties of finding pupillage as diversity of Bar students increases – Legal Futures

Posted December 3rd, 2015 in barristers, diversity, news, pupillage, statistics by sally

‘There is no problem with ethnic diversity on the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), new figures have revealed, with the number of students from Asian backgrounds increasing in recent years to the point where it almost equals the number of white students.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 2nd December 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Failure of QC appointment system to deliver diversity “should cast doubt on future of status” – Legal Futures

Posted November 24th, 2015 in barristers, diversity, news, queen's counsel, women by sally

‘Abolishing the status of QC should now be seriously considered in the light of research that shows male Oxbridge-educated junior barristers from London-based chambers are still far more likely to take silk, according to a new study by the London School of Economics and Political Science.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 24th November 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Transcript of the Lord Chief Justice’s Annual Press Conference 2015 – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, held his annual press conference on Tuesday, 17 November, 2015, at the Royal Courts of Justice.’

Full transcript

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 17th November 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Lady Hale: supreme court should be ashamed if diversity does not improve – The Guardian

Posted November 6th, 2015 in diversity, judiciary, news, Supreme Court, women by sally

‘The UK’s supreme court should be “ashamed” if it does not radically improve its diversity in the next round of judicial appointments, according to its only female judge, Lady Justice Hale.’

Full story

The Guardian, 6th November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

#killallwhitemen row: charges dropped against student diversity officer – The Guardian

‘Bahar Mustafa, the Goldsmiths student diversity officer who was due to appear in court after allegedly tweeting the hashtag #killallwhitemen, has had charges against her dropped.’

Full story

The Guardian, 3rd November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Insisting on a 2:1 degree for barristers “could discriminate against BAME students” – Legal Futures

‘Insisting on an upper second class degree for future barristers could impose a “discriminatory burden” on BAME students, who are less likely to obtain them, a leading academic has argued in response to a Bar Standards Board (BSB) consultation that raises the possibility.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 29th October 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Theresa May criticises police over stop and search, and race record – The Guardian

‘Theresa May will publicly criticise claims made by Britain’s most senior police officer that a rise in knife crime is linked to falls in stop and search, branding them as a “kneejerk reaction” and “false”.’

Full story

The Guardian, 21st October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Speech by the Lord Chief Justice – Temple Women’s Forum

Speech by the Lord Chief Justice (PDF)

Temple Women’s Forum, 19th October 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Quotas ‘demeaning’ to women and minority groups – Leveson – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 13th, 2015 in diversity, judiciary, law firms, quotas, reports, speeches, women by sally

‘The president of the Queen’s Bench Division has branded quotas as “demeaning” to women and minority ethnic groups.
Sir Brian Leveson (pictured) waded into the controversial debate over quotas ahead of the publication of a government-backed report that could put law firms under new pressure to promote women in senior posts.’

Full story

Full speech

Law Society’s Gazette, 12th October 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Speech by President of the Queen’s Bench Division: Justice for the 21st Century – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘Sir Brian Leveson, President of the Queen’s Bench Division gave the Caroline Weatherill Lecture “Justice for the 21st Century” in the Isle of Man on 9 October 2015.’

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judicairy, 12th October 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Diversity and the profession: a reply to Lord Sumption – The Lawyer

Posted September 23rd, 2015 in barristers, diversity, judiciary, news, solicitors, women by sally

‘Last night, Lord Sumption, a Justice of the Supreme Court, was trending on Twitter. This, I think, was a first. The furore was linked to an interview given by Lord Sumption to the Evening Standard.’

Full story

The Lawyer, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.thelawyer.com

No rush for more women at the top of the legal profession, says senior judge – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 22nd, 2015 in costs, diversity, equality, human rights, judges, judiciary, legal profession, news, women by sally

‘Lord Sumption claims rushing to achieve equality could damage the judiciary.’
Full story

Daily Telegraph, 21st September 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Diversity in the judiciary by Clive Coleman on BBC Radio 4 Today Programme – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted September 10th, 2015 in diversity, judiciary, speeches by sally

‘On Monday 27 July 2015 Clive Coleman from the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme spoke to judges about diversity in the judiciary.’

Full transcript

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 8th September 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Where is the diversity in law recruitment? – The Guardian

‘Despite recent initiatives, the legal profession remains a bastion of white, middle-class, privately educated males. So what can be done to make it more inclusive? Harriet Swain reports on a roundtable debate.’

Full story

The Guardian, 14th July 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Good news on diversity in judicial appointments – unless you are a solicitor – Litigation Futures

‘Solicitors were the least successful group of people applying for judicial appointment over the last six months, and the situation is getting worse, the latest figures from the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) have shown.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 4th June 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Judiciary launches its own initiative to improve diversity of High Court judges – Litigation Futures

Posted April 9th, 2015 in diversity, equality, judiciary, news, pilot schemes by sally

‘The Judicial Office has launched a pilot programme to improve the diversity of the High Court bench and encourage more applications from senior lawyers and legal academics.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 9th April 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com